The .310 Martini Cadet Rifle in Australia
Introduction
The .310 Martini Cadet was a British-made rifle ordered for Australian cadet training in the early twentieth century.[1]
The Australian cadet rifles were manufactured in Britain by Birmingham Small Arms and W.W. Greener. Their Australian history comes from their use, markings, ammunition supply and later civilian life. They were ordered for cadet training, marked for Commonwealth and state service, supported by Australian-made ammunition and later sold into private hands.[1][2]
Chambered for the .310 Cadet cartridge, also known as the .310 Greener, the rifle was a small single-shot centrefire used to teach marksmanship. It was a cadet rifle rather than a service rifle, and became closely associated with Australia’s cadet system before the First World War.[2][4]
Surviving examples are collected for their markings, condition and configuration. Some remain in original .310 Cadet form. Others were altered, sporterised or converted after service, including Australian post-war conversions by Sportco.[6][7][8]
Technical Specifications
Image: The .310 Martini Cadet Rifle in Australia
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Calibre | .310 Cadet, also known as .310 Greener |
| Action | Martini falling-block, single-shot |
| Operation | Lever operated breech block |
| Feed system | Single-shot |
| Ignition | Centrefire |
| Primary makers | Birmingham Small Arms and W.W. Greener |
| Original manufacture | Britain |
| Australian use | Cadet rifle training and later government storage/use |
| Australian markings | Commonwealth, state, military district, cadet and kangaroo markings may be encountered |
| Later conversions | Sportco .22 LR conversions, with .22 Hornet conversion work also recorded |
| Australian manufacture connection | Ammunition production by CAC and Footscray; later Australian commercial conversion work |
Australian Cadet Training
The Martini Cadet was used in Australia’s early twentieth-century cadet system.
After Federation, Australia moved toward compulsory military training. A bill for compulsory peacetime military training was introduced in 1909, and the first universal training scheme came into operation on 1 January 1911. Cadets formed part of that system in the years before the First World War.[3]
The .310 Martini Cadet fitted that role. It was a single-shot cadet rifle and used a cartridge suited to cadet training.[2][4]
Australian records place the rifle within a longer cadet-training story. Mayne records .310 Cadet Training Rifle use from about 1902. The Australian War Memorial records BSA and Greener rifles being ordered in Britain in 1907 for Australian state governments, while Museums Victoria connects the issue of .310 Martini Cadet rifles with the Commonwealth universal cadet training system introduced in 1910.[1][2][5]
This is why Australian examples often carry Commonwealth, state, military district or cadet-unit markings.[1][2][4]
Manufacture
The original .310 Martini Cadet rifles used in Australia were manufactured in Britain.[1][2][4]
The principal makers were Birmingham Small Arms and W.W. Greener. Both produced rifles based on the Martini falling-block system, scaled to suit cadet training rather than full military service.[1][2][4]
The BSA Cadet Martini used a Francotte Patent Martini action. It was a single-shot, breech-loading rifle operated by a lever beneath the stock. Lowering the lever dropped the breech block for loading and extraction.[2]
Although usually described as a Martini, the Cadet should not be confused with the larger Martini-Henry service rifle.
The BSA Cadets were produced in more than one pattern. Museums Victoria identifies its example as a second-pattern BSA Cadet, carrying the more elaborate rear sight with protecting ears for the range and windage adjusting screws.[2]
Australian Ammunition Manufacture
The rifles were made in Britain, but Australia manufactured ammunition for them.[5][6]
The Colonial Ammunition Company produced .310 Cadet ammunition for the Defence Department before the First World War. Mayne records that the Defence Department placed an order with CAC in 1906 for ammunition with production deliveries beginning in 1909. Production continued each year until 1913, when resources were fully allocated to wartime .303 production.[5]
Both ball and blank loadings were produced. Cases were stamped “CAC 310”, although some unheadstamped blank cases may also be encountered. Mayne’s production table records .310 Cadet ammunition production across the 1910–11 to 1913–14 financial years.[5]
Further government production occurred later at Footscray. In 1929, after financial restraints prevented a request for .303 rifles for the Territory of New Guinea, the Australian Government offered 1,000 .310 Cadet rifles. That offer was accepted, and an order for 10,000 rounds of jacketed .310 ammunition was placed on the Ammunition Factory Footscray. Further shipments continued through to late 1932.[6]
The rifle also returned to government use during the Second World War. After the bombing of Darwin in February 1942, .310 rifles in storage were issued for home guard use. Mayne records that this required an order on Footscray for .310 ammunition, with production later transferred from the No. 1 Factory to the No. 2 Factory. The wartime manufacturing program was complete by May 1943.[6]
Markings and Identification
Markings are often the first clue to an Australian Martini Cadet’s history.
Australian examples may carry “COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA” on the receiver. BSA-made rifles may carry Birmingham Small Arms markings on the left side of the action. Some examples also show a kangaroo mark or kangaroo monogram on the knox form.[1][2]
Image: Birmingham Small Arms Marking
Butt markings can help place a rifle within Australian service. The Australian War Memorial records an example with Citizen Military Forces, military district and Naval Reserve Cadets markings. Museums Victoria records state and Citizen Military Forces markings on its BSA Cadet example.[1][2]
Common markings and features to record include:
- “COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA” on the receiver
- BSA or Greener maker markings
- kangaroo marking or kangaroo monogram on the knox form
- state or military district markings
- cadet unit markings
- butt roundels or ownership marks
- original rear sight configuration
- matching or consistent serial numbers
- sale, disposal or cancellation markings
- evidence of later conversion or alteration
The condition and clarity of these markings affect how confidently a rifle can be identified. A rifle that retains clear Commonwealth, state or cadet markings is usually easier to document than one with scrubbed, damaged or missing marks.
Civilian Life After Service
After cadet service, many .310 Martini rifles entered civilian hands.[6][7][8]
Some remained in .310 Cadet. Others were sporterised, rebarrelled or converted to different calibres. Mayne records that after the Second World War, rifles were withdrawn and disposed of, and that many were converted to single-shot sporting rifles through the 1950s and 1960s.[6]
In Australia, commercial conversion work included Sportco, which acquired surplus .310 Martini Cadet rifles from the Australian Government and converted many of them to .22 LR. [7][8]
Collecting Today
Collectors look for originality. An original .310 Cadet should be checked for maker, calibre, chamber condition, sights, stock markings and overall configuration. Commonwealth markings, state markings, military district markings and cadet-unit markings should be recorded carefully.[1][2]
The rear sight, barrel, chamber and bore all need close inspection. Many rifles were altered after service, and some were rechambered, rebarrelled or modified for sporting use.[6][7][8]
Examples that remain close to cadet configuration and retain clear Australian markings are usually easier to interpret and document.
Image: Commonwealth of Australia Marking
Converted rifles should be considered separately. A Sportco .22 LR Martini, for example, is not the same collecting subject as an original .310 Cadet. It may still be a worthwhile rifle, particularly where the conversion is complete, properly marked and representative of Australian post-war sporting work.[7][8]
Australian Markings Are Key. Commonwealth, state, military district and cadet markings are central to understanding where a rifle sits in Australian service history.
Do Not Rely on One Marking Alone. Maker marks, receiver markings, butt markings, rear sight configuration, calibre and later alteration should all be considered together.
Ammunition History Adds Context. The rifle’s Australian story is not limited to the rifle itself. CAC and Footscray ammunition production are important parts of its local use.
Research Sources
| Source | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Australian War Memorial | Martini Cadet rifle associated with Naval Reserve Cadets, Victoria; markings, British manufacture and Australian cadet service | https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C279423 |
| 2. Museums Victoria Collections | BSA Cadet rifle record; Francotte action, second-pattern BSA features, Commonwealth and kangaroo markings | https://collections.museumsvictoria.com.au/items/386287 |
| 3. National Archives of Australia | Universal military training in Australia, 1911–29 | https://www.naa.gov.au/help-your-research/fact-sheets/universal-military-training-australia-1911-29 |
| 4. Australian War Memorial | Martini Cadet rifle associated with New South Wales Citizen Military Forces | https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C245364 |
| 5. David A. Mayne | Australian Military Small Arms Ammunition Production 1888–2003, Part A; CAC pre-WW1 .310 Cadet ammunition | https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/cartridgecollectors/original/2X/5/5ba6ef188042377523e12ac82a8cf086f4557be8.pdf |
| 6. David A. Mayne | Australian Military Small Arms Ammunition Production 1888–2003, Part B; Footscray, New Guinea, Second World War production and post-war disposal | https://cdck-file-uploads-us1.s3.dualstack.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/flex016/uploads/cartridgecollectors/original/2X/7/7cbbae568d46a341e131c68783796587f5a84825.pdf |
| 7. Sportco | Sportco model history and Martini Cadet conversion history | https://www.sportco.au/models.htm |
| 8. Gary Fleetwood | A History of Sportco, Australian Shooter | https://sportco.au/pdf/history01.pdf |
Further Reading
| Source | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Nick Harvey | General background article on the Martini Cadet rifle | https://sportingshooter.com.au/ask-uncle-nick/all-about-the-martini-cadet-rifle/ |
| Australian War Memorial | Universal Service Scheme, 1911–1929 | https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/conscription/universal_service |